- Cedric Thompson, a former NFL athlete and content creator, is married to Charlotte, who is half-Filipina and half-white.
- During the process of choosing baby names, the Thompsons took a DNA test to learn more about their ancestral heritage.
- They ultimately decided on names that pay homage to their families.
This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Cedric Thompson, a former NFL athlete, content creator, and father of three. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.
I met my wife Charlotte during our freshman year of college. After dating for a while, we got married. Charlotte comes from a mixed background: half-Filipina and half-Caucasian, while I am African American. Our different backgrounds presented challenges when we first started our relationship.
I grew up in the inner city of Los Angeles, surrounded by predominantly Black and brown communities. Our upbringing was influenced by the need to survive and strive for success, experiences that are deeply connected to being an African American man. Charlotte, on the other hand, grew up in a safer environment where she didn’t face the same biases.
It was when we moved to Minnesota, where there is a larger white population, that we began to confront the realities of my Black identity. The murder of George Floyd was a powerful moment that made me realize the unequal treatment faced by Black individuals. Charlotte, being married to a Black man, also became more aware of these issues. We have spent the past couple of years navigating and discussing these matters.
Embracing an Intercultural Marriage
During my time playing in the NFL, I started documenting my life on YouTube. After being released from the Minnesota Vikings, a video of Charlotte and me went semi-viral. It was then that we realized people had a problem with us being an interracial couple. Some commenters expressed their disapproval of me not dating a Black woman.
However, my parents taught me not to see color. Thankfully, both Charlotte and I come from families that welcome everyone. The main challenges in our relationship stemmed from our different upbringings.
Naming Our Children
When Charlotte became pregnant with our second child in 2019, we decided to take DNA tests to explore our ancestral heritage. We wanted our children’s names to reflect the significance of our cultural backgrounds.
I discovered various bloodlines in my DNA results, including Nigerian, Malian, and even 4% Irish. However, these connections felt distant as I had grown up in Los Angeles and strongly identified as African American.
The idea of my last name not truly being mine was another challenge, considering the history of slavery. Charlotte faced a similar situation with many Filipino names having Spanish origins from the Philippines’ Spanish colonial period.
Nevertheless, we were determined to honor our families’ lineages. Inspired by the naming traditions of Samoan and Native Indian cultures, where names carry tribal significance, we chose to do the same. We decided to name our children after our beloved family members.
Our oldest daughter is named Madeline, in memory of Charlotte’s late sister. Madeline’s middle name, Parker, is derived from my grandmother’s name. For our second daughter, we chose the name Lucca, meaning “brings the light,” and her middle name, Ryan, is the name of Charlotte’s older sister. Finally, our youngest daughter, Quincy, is the fifth member of our family, represented by the “quint” in her name. Additionally, her name is reminiscent of Charlotte’s grandfather, Alcuin. Her middle name, Marie, is my mother’s middle name.
For us, the names were a way to connect our family lineages. These are the individuals who have cared for us and loved us throughout our lives, and we found meaning in honoring them.
